Thinking fast and slow
Kahneman and Tversky’s work on decision-making and judgement, and particularly heuristics, highlight the ways in which we make systematic errors even when we think we are being rational. If we’re to learn from each other and flourish as a society, it’s worth being reminded that we’re far less equipped to make the judgements we so routinely do than we think we are.
“New atheists”, stridency and fundamentalism
The so-called “New atheists” now carry the apparently unshakeable tags of being militant or strident. In some cases, they certainly might be – but this has nothing to do with the truth or falsity of what they say.
President Zuma on religion and “humanity”
President Zuma claims that humanity is lost when there is no fear of God. In an environment where Helen Zille has to endure a week of criticism for speaking of education refugees, how can Zuma get a free pass on this dangerously intolerant rhetoric?
Tim Noakes on carbohydrates
Tim Noakes has moved from advocating carbo-loading to suggesting that carbohydrates are an addiction that poses severe health risks. But while his revised recommendations are couched in the language of science, does the science support them?
Analysts, opinionistas and their (occasional) irrelevance
Many opinion columns and pieces of (ostensible) analysis add little value to their reader’s lives, and those of us who produce these should hold ourselves to a higher standard.
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